Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 369: Tang Wanzhuang Arrives

The next evening had arrived, yet Tang Wanzhuang had yet to do the same.

Zhao Changhe let out a breath of relief and changed into simple clothes. He covered his scar and went to pick up a basket of braised ducks. Then, he headed to the city lord’s mansion, arriving in a very unassuming manner at its back gate.

The gatekeeper, seeing an unfamiliar face, did not question him and only casually asked, “Was there a change of personnel?”

Zhao Changhe smiled apologetically. “Yes, some people left.”

The gatekeeper sighed in a resigned manner. “Hmm, it looks like there’s a shortage of hands everywhere... Do you know the way? If not, just find someone inside to guide you. Oh, but make sure to mind your manners and follow the rules. Don’t look around or run about. After you deliver the food to the kitchen, return the same way.”

Zhao Changhe obediently agreed, and upon entering, he actually asked a servant for directions. He was then led straight to the kitchen to deliver the braised ducks.

Along the way, he kept his eyes and ears at full attention but found nothing unusual, though he did notice that the security inside the mansion was extraordinarily strict.

Just during this short trip to the kitchen, he encountered several patrols, and occasionally he could hear faint, steady breathing—a sign of experts.

It seems like some of these guys aren’t just regular house guards.

From what he had seen alone, the muscle in this rear courtyard alone was enough for an ordinary gang to establish themselves.

Although it was understandable for a city lord’s mansion to have strict security, having it at such a high standard where there was a post and a sentry every few steps was definitely out of the norm, especially with Lu Shiheng not even being in the mansion at the moment. So, just what were they guarding?

In the kitchen, a steward complained, “Why are the ducks so late today? Oh, a new face...”

Zhao Changhe smiled apologetically and said, “My apologies, I’m just new to this, so it took me a while to find my way around...”

“Leave them here,” the steward said. “Tell Da Zhou to double the number of braised ducks for the delivery tomorrow. The guest is especially loving his braised ducks. Da Zhou is really helping us look good.”

Zhao Changhe scratched his head and put on a simple smile. “Who in Xiangyang doesn’t love our boss’s ducks?”

“Hah, it isn’t just Xiangyang, even guests from the north love them. This is what I call winning over both the north and south,” the steward commented. He then waved him off. “Alright, go on back now. You should know the way back, right? Don’t wander around. If you wander around and end up getting chopped up, no one will come to avenge you.”

Guests from the north, eh?

Zhao Changhe slowly left the kitchen, then sped up and headed toward the guest courtyard as soon as he managed to get out of sight of the guards. Obviously, he never had the smallest intention to head right out; he had only delivered the ducks so that he could have an excuse in case something went wrong. If he got caught, he could just claim he had gotten lost.

Even if Wanzhuang doesn’t arrive today, she’ll definitely be here by tomorrow. If I don’t manage to gather information today, I at least have to rescue Li Sian. If I just leave a hostage in your hands, it will be difficult for us to do anything.

Finding the guest courtyard where Li Sian was being held was easy; he could hear servants talking about Mister Li, who had been confined just the day before.

“I heard that the city lord permitted Mister Li to do whatever he wanted with the maids... He must be having a great time.”

“I heard that he hasn’t touched any of them, though. He sent all of the maids away... In fact, it wasn’t just the maids. Isn’t it common for powerful figures to exchange concubines every now and then? It’s said that the city lord’s eighteenth concubine was sent to accompany Mister Li. I wonder if he’s going to send her away as well.”

“Wow... I’d be fine with exchanging eighteen years of my life just to have the eighteenth concubine glance at me. I don’t believe Mister Li would send her away.”

“Do you think he’s like you? He’s the owner of brothels all over Jingchu. What kind of beautiful woman has he not seen?”

“I don’t believe anyone could be prettier than the eighteenth concubine!”

As the servants chatted amongst themselves, Zhao Changhe slipped to the side of the guest courtyard. Under the watchful eyes of the guards, he quickly passed the blind spots of the courtyard wall, landing lightly behind a flower bush, silently observing.

From inside the courtyard, a seductive voice said, “Why are you so quick to refuse? The city lord doesn’t mind it if you enjoy one of his concubines...”

Li Sian’s voice responded, “But I do.”

“While it might be fun to play with unclaimed women, isn’t it more fun to play with claimed ones?”

“...I’ve never played with any women.”

“But you run brothels...”

“Yes, but I don’t like women. Madam, please leave.”

The door opened, and a stunningly beautiful woman was thrown out. She stumbled a few steps before regaining her balance.

The door slammed shut, and the woman, her face red with fury, cursed, “You wretched bastard!”

Zhao Changhe held his breath, his heart pounding.

While he might not be able to recognize the cultivation techniques of other forces, he was quite familiar with the traits of the cultivation techniques he practiced himself, cultivation techniques such as the Blood God Cult’s Vicious Blood Art and... the Maitreya Cult’s Pure Bliss Art. These cultivation techniques had distinct and recognizable traits that would not be present elsewhere.

A celestial maiden from the Maitreya Cult!

No wonder Lu Shiheng was so willing to offer her to Li Sian. If Li Sian slept with her, he probably wouldn’t even know when they put him under mind control.

But isn’t Lu Shiheng supposed to be against Maitreya? People here might dare to even curse the emperor, but welcoming the Maitreya Cult is still seen as taboo.

I even have reliable information that Maitreya is joining forces with the Blood God Cult to attack Xiangyang. I personally saw an envoy from the Maitreya Cult at the Blood God Cult. There was no mistaking it. Just what exactly is going on?

Zhao Changhe looked up at the sky. The sun had completely set.

The celestial maiden instructed her maidservants, “One of you go inform Lu Shiheng that we can’t afford any further delays. We need to take action now. We’re running out of time, so I’ll have to take the harder approach.”

*

Not long after Zhao Changhe entered the city lord’s mansion, Tang Wanzhuang arrived in Xiangyang just as the sun was setting, travel-worn.

She did not enter through the city gates. Instead, she lightly scaled the high walls of the city and directly headed to the Immortal Palatial Garden.

Lu Shiheng did not expect Tang Wanzhuang to arrive so quickly. They ideally wanted to first control or convert Li Sian and use him to trap Tang Wanzhuang, ensuring greater chances of success.

This was also why he had not taken direct action against Li Sian. He needed him to cooperate.

However, Li Sian had remained unyielding, and by the end of the day, there had been no progress. Meanwhile, Tang Wanzhuang had already arrived in the city.

Fortunately, the Immortal Palatial Garden had long been prepared for her arrival, with personnel replaced and everything set. Tang Wanzhuang could not possibly recognize every subordinate in Xiangyang, so they believed they could deceive her for the time being.

The steward, arranged by Lu Shiheng, wiped the sweat from his forehead and greeted Tang Wanzhuang. “Bureau chief, what brings you here?”

Tang Wanzhuang looked around, slightly frowning. “Why are there so many unfamiliar faces? Where’s Sian?”

“The fourth lord had some matters to attend to. He should be back by evening. Bureau chief, would you like to rest and have a meal first?”

Tang Wanzhuang squinted at him for a while, then suddenly smiled brightly, “Sure, get me something light.”

Her smile sent shivers through everyone around.

Some said that if there were a ranking for the most beautiful woman in the world, First Seat Tang would likely top the ranking. Those who had not seen her might think that it was an exaggeration, but they would discover that, in person, her reputation was well-deserved. Instantly, everyone felt as if the supposedly beautiful women of Immortal Palatial Garden were but ordinary women. Even the Maitreya Cult’s celestial maidens, known for their bewitching allure, paled in comparison to her.

The steward arranged a light meal, not daring to drug it. Someone who ranked third on the Ranking of Earth and could become the chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau was not someone who could easily be subdued with drugs. If they laced her food, it would only raise her suspicion.

Regrettably to them, Tang Wanzhuang had arrived too quickly for many of their plans to be properly set.

He arranged everything as usual, cautiously attending to her. “Bureau chief, what brings you here? Do you wish to see the city lord?”

Tang Wanzhuang sipped her porridge leisurely and smiled. “Mm-hm, inform the city lord to come here for a meeting with me.”

The steward did not find anything unusual in her words, so he just smiled and left to report to Lu Shiheng. In fact, someone had already gone to report Tang Wanzhuang’s arrival the moment she arrived at the brothel.

Tang Wanzhuang watched the steward’s departing figure, her eyes flickering with a gloomy light.

Something’s wrong...

Someone who was truly a part of the Demon Suppression Bureau would be shocked at the idea of inviting the city lord to their secret base, fearing it would expose years of secret operations.

However, the steward had failed to consider this.

It proved that either the place had been compromised long ago, and the undercover agents here had long since defected, or the steward was simply one of Lu Shiheng’s men rather than Li Sian’s.

Tang Wanzhuang’s expression remained unchanged as she calmly drank her porridge, thinking that she was still a step too late. If Li Sian had been captured, her actions would be considerably constrained.

This is bad. There’s no one who can help me rescue Li Sian... Even if I can secretly send a message to Da Zhou, he doesn’t have enough strength to rescue Sian, and he’d only end up being exposed unnecessarily.

Haah, I’ll just take things one step at a time. First, I’ll meet up with Lu Shiheng and see what he’s up to.

Soon, a knock came on the door, and Lu Shiheng entered with a hearty laugh. “First Seat Tang, why did you come to a brothel rather than the city lord’s mansion right when you arrived at Xiangyang? It wouldn’t look good on you if word got out.”

Tang Wanzhuang smiled slightly. “It’s nothing. It was just that Mister Li is an old friend of the Tang Clan, so I wanted to pay him a visit. Please have a seat, prefectural governor.”

His official title was prefectural governor; the Great Xia Empire had no “city lord” position. However, Lu Shiheng insisted on being called city lord. Over time, people had forgotten that he was the prefectural governor of Xiangyang, thinking of him as the true lord of the city.[1]

Tang Wanzhuang’s first words abruptly shifted the atmosphere, but Lu Shiheng seemed unaffected, naturally bowing with a smile. “First Seat Tang, you defeated Maitreya at Taihu Lake yesterday, and today, you’re already in Xiangyang. Is there something urgent for you to have come here with such haste?”

“Indeed,” Tang Wanzhuang replied coolly. “If I had been a day late, I’m afraid Xiangyang might no longer belong to the Great Xia.”

1. This is basically referring to the difference between a ruler and an appointed official. ☜